WILMINGTON – Less than nine months ago, William “Will” Walter Barker was one of Kinston’s political and civic leaders. Today, he’s headed to federal prison.

Thursday, in federal court in Wilmington, the 44-year-old — wearing shackles and an orange jumpsuit with Brunswick County Jail stenciled on the back — learned his fate after pleading guilty to a child pornography charge.

Barker was sentenced to 6 ˝ years in prison, issued a $10,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release when he is eventually released from prison on a felony count of receipt of child pornography, to which Barker pled guilty in June. He also will be required to register as a sex offender upon release.

A plea deal between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Barker’s lawyers — Allen Foster (of Gerrans, Foster and Sargeant) and James S. “Jimbo” Perry (of Perry, Perry and Perry) — significantly reduced the charges Barker could have faced.

He also received some leniency from Senior U.S. District Court Judge James C. Fox, who could’ve given Barker 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“You don’t sentence a man without sentencing a family,” Fox said during the sentencing hearing. “Forces of evil capture all of us. ... Evil has severe results on a family.”

The hearing, which started at 10:18 a.m. and lasted precisely one hour, stirred emotions in Courtroom 1 of the U.S. Courthouse in Wilmington. More than 50 people traveled from Kinston to the Port City to show support for Barker, including a virtual who’s who of Lenoir County political, religious and business leaders – Kinston Mayor B.J. Murphy, Lenoir County Economic Development Executive Director Mark Pope, Steve Jefferson, Kevin Zoltek and Dan Perry.

That support – which included dozens of letters to the judge from many who attended Thursday’s hearing – seemed to move Fox.

“You must be a good man to have this (type of support),” Fox said to Barker before he handed down the sentence.

Barker, a former certified public accountant before he voluntarily surrendered his license a couple of months ago, was a Kinston city councilman from 2005 to 2011. He was originally named to the council seat when Van Braxton was elected to the state House of Representatives but later won the seat outright in the 2007 election. He told The Free Press in the summer of 2011 he chose not to run for re-election to spend more time with his children.

Barker’s crimes came to light late last year after a Fremont Town Board meeting, one he was attending since his accounting firm was handling the Wayne County town’s audit. He accidentally dropped a universal serial bus (USB) thumbdrive at the meeting, which was later picked up by the Fremont Police Department chief. Barker had already left the meeting when the thumbdrive was discovered.

Page 2 of 2 - In his attempt to find out who owned the drive so it could be returned to its rightful owner, the police chief conducted a search of the drive and found extreme pornographic images of young boys. The drive also included work documents belonging to Barker.

That led the State Bureau of Investigation to obtain a search warrant for Barker’s Kinston residence, which was executed on Nov. 29. The SBI discovered a laptop belonging to Barker that contained at least 11,025 images and 1,022 videos of child pornography. A computer expert with the SBI said the vast majority of the images included those of young males but also included “very disturbing” images of bondage and bestiality.

“Those were some of the most graphic images imaginable,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan A. Ontjes at Thursday’s hearing. “This crime is the worst of all crimes because it involves children.”

Barker was taken into custody on Nov. 29 and spent five days in Lenoir County Jail before being released on a $105,000 bond that was reduced from an initial bond of $300,000.

Foster told the judge in court Thursday that Barker attended Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings in Raleigh and Narcotics Anonymous meetings in Kinston to help him with an addiction to pornography that Ontjes said started in 1998. Barker wasn’t addicted to narcotics, but attended NA meetings because there wasn’t a local SAA group.

In fact, Foster and Barker – when he had an opportunity to address the judge – said Barker is planning to start an SAA group in Kinston when he is released from prison. Additionally, Foster said Barker spent $65,000 of his own money for treatment for his sexual addiction at a clinic in Mississippi.

“He will not run from this,” Foster said. “He will have a unique perspective and be able to speak from the heart.”

After Foster and Ontjes spoke, Barker had the opportunity to address the court. In a low and steady voice and looking much thinner than he was nine months ago, Barker delivered a three-minute speech to the judge.

“I am guilty and indeed remorseful,” Barker said, looking down while reading a prepared statement. “I am blessed to be alive today. ... I want to share my experience and ... help others.”

He apologized profusely to his family and friends who had suffered “emotionally and financially” because of his ordeal.

“I want to thank them for their unconditional support and love,” Barker said, his voice breaking.

He promised the judge that he would use “every tool” to never return to the way he was before being caught with the pornography.

“I am not a monster,” he declared before the judge issued the sentence.